Majors’ divestment dilemma
Depressed oil prices are forcing large-cap producers to roll back spending. But will they continue to try to shed non-core assets?
The equity markets had long been in a mood to reward large-cap international oil companies (IOCs) that pledged a very similar diet of capital disciple. Targeted spending in only the projects offering the best returns, lowered costs and cash returned to shareholders were firmly in favour. And high-grading the portfolio by divesting non-core or high-cost assets was a de rigeur part of the story. But no one expected or planned for an oil price of below $30/bl. Millions of extra barrels of oil have flooded the market in the past few weeks following the collapsed Opec+ talks. And the crisis is being aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has removed global energy demand on an unprecedented s
Also in this section
23 January 2025
The end of transit, though widely anticipated, leaves Europe paying a third more for gas than a year ago and greatly exposed to supply shocks
23 January 2025
The country’s government and E&P companies are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to increase domestic crude output as BP–ONGC tie-up leads the way
22 January 2025
The return of Donald Trump gives further evidence of ‘big oil’ as an investable asset, with the only question being whether anyone is really surprised
21 January 2025
The new president must put his cards on the table and tell the American people, and the world, if the US is formally abandoning the energy transition
